An Earth-Centered Astrology Reflecting the Cosmic Order
Introducing GAIA Astrology
Gaia is the name the ancients gave to our living planet Earth. In a later era the great astronomer and astrologer Johanne Kepler developed the belief that the Earth as a whole is a living entity. More recently this perspective has found expression in the “Gaia principle” popularized by James Lovelock. The ancients as far back as Plato saw the Earth as a sentient being reflecting on a larger scale the nature of the individual. They believed that the microcosm reflects the macrocosm and that man is made in the image of God; they showed how the Earth, like the human body, is divided meaningfully into twelve zodiacal bands. Plato famously said, “The Earth viewed from heaven is like a ball with twelve stripes, each of a different color.”
As different parts of the human body are related to zodiacal signs - Aries head to Pisces feet - so different areas of the Earth correspond meaningfully with these signs. The nature of each zodiacal sign is reflected in the mythologies, religions, and cultural traditions of the related zodiacal section of the Earth. An even more striking relationship can be seen between the "extra zodiacal constellations" or "star signs" of the Decans (10 degree parts of the zodiac) and the related sections of the Earth (1st Decan Virgo / Bootes is the boot of Italy, 2nd Decan Libra / Draco the Dragon includes the sinuous, open-mouthed “dragon” of the Ural mountains coming down from the pole).
In my work, GAIA is an acronym for Geocosmic Archetypal Integrative Astrology. “Geocosmic” signifies the synchronistic relationship between the Earth and Heaven. This includes the mundane effects of heavenly bodies in relation to the Earth. As the Sun moves through the zodiac it illuminates different areas of the zodiac projected on Earth. The North Node moving across the world brings everything into focus, the South Node brings karmic release and transforming, etc. The Earth Zodiac can help us discover our place in the world and it can be helpful in planning business trips, vacations or spiritual pilgrimages. This system can also provide valuable understanding for resolving challenges and realizing opportunities on a global as well as personal level.
"Integrative" refers to the synthesis of various archetypal elements of mythology and oracular science that can help realize and integrate deeper dimensions of our psychic nature. GAIA Astrology integrates a diverse set of oraclar interpretive systems including the hexagrams of the I Ching, the 24 Runes (2 for each zodiacal sign) and the Tarot. All these systems key in meaningfully and integrally with the zodiacal wheel.
The GAIA interpretive system includes the Decan Star Signs, a set of 36 additional constellations that have come down to us from the ancient astrologers. Each of these 36 Star Signs has its own Tarot card (one of 36 minor arcana excepting the Aces) that shows how to meet the challenge and open to the opportunity of the decan constellation. These principles applied to the Earth show how to resolve global problems. Ptolemy described an original set of 48 constellations (the 36 Decan Star Signs plus 12 signs of the zodiac) that together reflect everything that happens in the world.
GAIA Astrology combines Tarot with the science of the stars. The 78 Tarot cards might be aptly described as our archetypal DNA. The Rider-Waite Tarot has its origin in a set of cards designed in 1100 CE in Fez, Morocco (Tarot and Astrology, Muriel Hasbrouck). Here many of the brightest minds of the time convened for the purpose of synthesizing the ancient wisdom in a coded form that could survive the dark ages descending over Europe. That they succeeded is evidenced among other things by the incredible congruity between the Tarot cards by number and the periodic table of the elements by atomic number. The correspondence is undeniable for anyone looking into this relationship. Tarot and Astrology cannot be separated, they are a common system with shared roots.
The GAIA System also incorporates a set of 5 Dwarf Planets, 24 significant Minor Planets (Asteroid Goddesses) and 108 Fixed Stars. These additional bodies are high lighted and may tell a significant story when aligned with major planets or other key points in the natal chart.
Together the elements of the GAIA System describe the full range of an individual's life expression and reveal everything that happens on Earth.